FORMER Manly captain Max Krilich has backed the club’s decision to rename Brookvale Oval as ‘Lottoland’ in exchange for a seven-figure sum.
The Sea Eagles and online lottery company Lottoland are close to finalising a proposal for the naming rights of the iconic fortress.
It’s understood The Lottoland sign would be erected before the club’s first NRL home game on March 5.
Manly are expected to announce more details in the coming days.
The decision to rename Brookvale Oval — home of the Sea Eagles since 1947 — has attracted mixed reactions from the club’s fans.
The iconic Brookvale Oval will be renamed ‘Lottoland’.Source:Supplied
But Krilich insists Manly officials had no choice other than to take the big dollars on offer to keep the club afloat.
“It’s just going with the times,” Krilich told The Daily Telegraph.
“How many times has Cronulla’s oval been changed?
“You’ve got to have money to run a club and that’s one way of getting money.
“It will still be Brookvale Oval to me.
“But Lottoland or whatever they want to call it, good on them as long as they get the money and the club going.
“The club has got to stay afloat and you’ve got to find money anyway you can to keep place going.
“The Penns can’t just keep tipping in money all the time. They aren’t some bottomless pit, so they’ve got to be able to recruit money anyway they can.
“If someone can sponsor Brookvale Oval, why not.
“It’s just the reality of professional sport. If they had turned it down, they’d have to find money from other areas to supplement the money they’ve lost.
“I just hope the big red ball drops on my head.”
